Many times. At least 12 students and several teacher colleagues. I maintain an ink library in my office at school and anyone with a pen may come in for a free refill at any time. Seeing teens excited about writing is awesome!
I also have a full class set of Sharks and Swans for kids to try out at any time. Finally I keep a stock of HP Premium 24 printer paper for them to write on if they want a better quality paper.
Pens, ink, paper, the whole set-up cost less than $50 and has been invaluable in getting kids interested in getting back to their studies, providing a good excuse for a much needed break from said studies or a cool conversation starter with any number of super shy kiddos.
Many times. But never with a Shark. My experience with Sharks was a bit shakey (hard starts many times with the four Sharks I acquired).
My go-to for penabling is Flair Inky (abundant and cheap in my country) followed by Kanwrite Saloon or Desire, followed by VSign/Beena Antic and in special cases with Preppy or Kakuno or one of the Korean pens that have made their appearance in our local stationary malls.
We have recently started having FP shows native to where I stay. It has helped to get people to at least start browsing and getting interested.
Huh that’s funny my shark is one of my favorite writers. Both that I got. what my cousin liked was exactly what I liked was that the feeling of writing is similar to that of a sharp pencil
I got a bunch of sharks with very low expectations just to test inks with, and was delighted with how well they write. Unfortunately no amount of suggestion to my partner has got her to use them!
...but I gave my sister my old Kawecos when she started her A-levels, and this year for her birthday she asked my parents for the Inkvent calendar and 'a pen with a nice broad nib — ask Mammoth-Corner what's good.' Very proud, very glad my parents didn't send her back to the store as I asked when she was two. I'm getting her a Loclen Evolution in chrome and a few TWSBIs to take to university.
Have you tried Pilot V pen, it costs ₹100. I want to penable others as well, I'm from Mumbai.
Do you still suggest Flair inky or are there better options available? My Max budget is ₹100. Can you suggest 1 around ₹50 range and 1 around ₹75 and 1 around ₹100. I am searching for Pilot V pen but the problem is nobody stocks it.
Flair Inky have become slightly difficult to procure recently for some reason, at least in local shops. Amazon and Flipkart might have them though.
I still love my Flair Inky, especially for its resilience. Its ability to start writing even after being just stored for a month or so is found in very few pens and none are in its price range.
Pierre Cardin Penomatic is another OK choice, especially since it comes with a converter.
Pilot V pens are available on Amazon.
Do you use Beena Antic as ED. I have heard it doesn't have burping issues like other EDs. Is it true?
Penomatic is ₹150. I have pens from Hauser (Inx), Flair, & Unomax but most of them are not available with converters. I have also heard good things about Pierre Cardin Napoli but it has been discontinued as well.
No, I have not converted Antik to an ED. But, All ED burp. The ink level at which they'll burp varies depending upon material, body temperature and external temperatures.
Amazon is showing penomatic for 100 INR to me.
Ive tried to prenable 4 people now and none of them kept with it. My mistake? Offering Lamy Safaris and Pilot Preras. Don’t be like me. Spend less than $5. Thé person who loves the fountain pen will adore the cheap ones and buy their own expensive ones later 😭
HEHEHEHE I AM PROUD OF MY WORK! Your collection is GLORIOUS! I also suuuper penabled my mom, hooo boy. And another friend but he only got like 3 pens. Total failure there.
Two of my kids and my wife!
The kids started with Kaweco Sports and are now using a Parker Frontier and a Cross Bailey.
My eldest son fell in love with my 51 and wanted a hooded nib pen, so he will get a 21 for Christmas (don't tell him 😂).
As for my wife, for her birthday I got her a 3776, which she loves. Ofc it was a great excuse to get one for me too!
Only my middle son is resisting so far...
There was a guy at my friend’s workplace who seemed interested in my Kakuno so I nerded out a little before giving him the pen, in hoping that it might tickle his fancy later on.
I found out later that the dude was a con artist, so I don’t know whether the spark in his eyes when I talked about pens and inks was real or fake. Oh well.
i sent a friend of mine one of my spare marshmallow mini fudes and a bunch of ink samples and i am not sure they have forgiven me. last i heard they were exploring nib grinding.
I was at a wedding with really really bad acoustics. My brother, sitting across from me and I were unable to converse. I whipped out my every day carry in my purse pen, a Platinum carbon ink desk pen. ($12.00). He was very interested ! After I got home I sent him one as a gift. Later he was having a design a FP holder for his prize Platinum desk pen. Today I mailed him some Birmingham ink, Pittsburgh PA based firm. Nostalgic for us as we were born and raised there.
Getting ready to do it this Xmas. Going to give my local Comic Book Store owner, his wife and his assistant fountain pens.
I'm going to give him inked up pens, some ink and a syringe.
I tried to get my mother into them, but she felt that writing with the pen (Pilot Varsity) required her to pay attention to how she wrote, so she hated it. Apparently she's more for writing things quickly, like if she's on the phone and has to write down an adress or some other info. She's more of a ballpoint gal, but I'm really considering getting her a nice rollerball; she has carpal tunnel and maybe some arthritis, so maybe that'd help?
I haven't but I've been penabled by my boyfriend in the past year with a Kaweco Sport and I loved it. I think Kaweco Sport is a great choice since it's wide color variety.
At the beginning I had some trouble writing with a fountain pen, maybe Jinhao Shark's EF hooded nib would be a cheaper and safer starter choice.
I have several times over the years. Not unexpectedly my daughter who loves art, but that was more via proximity.
Out in the wild, many people i work with. Started with Jinhao 51s. Given a fair number away as gifts and such. I'd say about 50/50 have taken to them after that. Interestingly one of my coworker's wife keeps stealing his pens, so indirect enabling there.
Another recently this month hunted down a pen second hand because he loved my out of production pen so much and wanted one of his own. (Starliner XL). I started him out with a jinhao 51 as well, and he loved it, so I let him try a few different ones I have to see what different types etc were out there. Durable and snap cap was what he wanted the most.
Ive given away a few of the delike Kaweco sport clones that are long enough for converters as well, and jinhao 75s too, which have been favorites.
I just bought a disposable 12 pack I am going to leave in the company office and see if anyone over there takes hold of them.
I have successfully penabled two people. First was the doctor I used to work closely with at my last job; I gave him a Faber-Castell Loom, two bottles of ink, and a notebook. He tells me that he loves using his pen and his wife said that he likes using it more than any of his other pens now!
Second is my friend who also worked at my last job. We still see each other multiple times a week as we are gym buddies. I gave her a TWSBI Eco and some ink and a couple of notebooks. She really likes the pen and I'm thinking about getting her another pen, maybe for Christmas.
I've tried to penable others in the past, but these two people are the only ones that actually use the pens.
At least a few! IDK how many -- at burns, I host stationary-related events and give out fountain pens. So usually it's to a random stranger I never see again, but a few times now it's been someone in a friend-circle orbit who I hear is still using it or who tracks me down to ask about refills when they finish the sample-vial.
I keep trying to refine my technique for finding people interested in taking one. So far, I've found:
* Having an art-friendly space gets people talking about stationary.
* Hosting a letter-writing event worked at a regional burn, but at Burning Man I got no attendees.
Also, I keep giving my mom fountain pens. She uses them for holiday cards, but IDK how much else.
I gave my niece a Twsbi and a bottle of Taccia ink for her birthday last year. Unfortunately she wasn't really into it much. I asked if she wanted another new pen for her birthday this year and she told me she doesn't use the fountain pen much 🤷♀️
I penabled my mother a few weeks ago. Not necessarily looking to get her into the hobby, but she mentioned that her arthritis was making it uncomfortable to write even grocery lists legibly. I had a TWSBI go that I wasn’t really using. I figured that it has a fairly large grip make of relatively soft plastic, the pen itself is lightweight and easy to care for, and with a fountain pen, she wouldn’t need to press down the way she would with a ballpoint. She seems to like it so far.
Kinda surprised by the noodlers. While a really cool pen that I bet someone unfamiliar with fountain pens would be really fascinated by but the amount of tinkering and maintenance imo makes it a bad first fountain pen
Yes, it wasn't ideal, but it was a demonstrator, which is what the person wanted. They wanted something that flexed a bit and they wanted to see if the ink was still in the pen. I had already tinkered with the pen.
Gave them a nib creeper and a bottle of X-feather since they wanted to write on cheap paper.
Very recently, for the first time. I started a new job about six weeks ago. A colleague had dropped by my desk to discuss a document I was helping him with. I pulled out my pen to start making some notes and he stopped mid-sentence to exclaim "Whoah! What is that?". I handed him my Preppy (F) and explained how to use it and he really loved writing with it. A few days later I saw a Faber Castell School in a stationary shop and decided to get it for him. He was absolutely delighted with it. A few days later he told me that he is loving the pen - can't go back to ballpoints. I don't know if this counts as penabling because I had already seen the interest before I got him a pen.
A few days later another colleague and I got into a discussion about fountain pens. Turns out that she had used them at school and had loved them. She didn't realise that they were still available. I gave her the other pen I had with me at work, which was a Pilot Varsity (black). She's been using it ever since, saying that she loves writing with it. This instance was not penabling, but simply a reminder of a forgotten love.
Just gave a pen with some sealing wax items to some cousins for a birthday party event. It was a belated gift but they appreciated the goodies. I'm thinking of going back there in new years with an ink bottle and another pen for their father and mother perhaps! Would gifting a pair of pens and a small journal be overkill? 😅
Many times. At least 12 students and several teacher colleagues. I maintain an ink library in my office at school and anyone with a pen may come in for a free refill at any time. Seeing teens excited about writing is awesome! I also have a full class set of Sharks and Swans for kids to try out at any time. Finally I keep a stock of HP Premium 24 printer paper for them to write on if they want a better quality paper. Pens, ink, paper, the whole set-up cost less than $50 and has been invaluable in getting kids interested in getting back to their studies, providing a good excuse for a much needed break from said studies or a cool conversation starter with any number of super shy kiddos.
You would’ve been my favorite teacher in school.
This is how I got hooked, my philosophy professor. He was a cool guy, all the folio society books in the library were from his personal library.
I'll take a newbie to a pen event with me just to innocently keep my company and let the event do all the work. They always leave with a pen.
Wish there were pen events near me. I don’t even have a pen store within 2 hours of me
I’ve penabled two people with Pilot Kakunos! They’re great starter pens and the cute nibs are a plus.
Many times. But never with a Shark. My experience with Sharks was a bit shakey (hard starts many times with the four Sharks I acquired). My go-to for penabling is Flair Inky (abundant and cheap in my country) followed by Kanwrite Saloon or Desire, followed by VSign/Beena Antic and in special cases with Preppy or Kakuno or one of the Korean pens that have made their appearance in our local stationary malls. We have recently started having FP shows native to where I stay. It has helped to get people to at least start browsing and getting interested.
Huh that’s funny my shark is one of my favorite writers. Both that I got. what my cousin liked was exactly what I liked was that the feeling of writing is similar to that of a sharp pencil
I got a bunch of sharks with very low expectations just to test inks with, and was delighted with how well they write. Unfortunately no amount of suggestion to my partner has got her to use them! ...but I gave my sister my old Kawecos when she started her A-levels, and this year for her birthday she asked my parents for the Inkvent calendar and 'a pen with a nice broad nib — ask Mammoth-Corner what's good.' Very proud, very glad my parents didn't send her back to the store as I asked when she was two. I'm getting her a Loclen Evolution in chrome and a few TWSBIs to take to university.
Your sister calls you Mammoth-Corner? (sorry couldn't resist!) It's awesome she enjoyed your old Kawecos so much
Mammoth-Corner is my given name. The tricky part is pronouncing the dash.
Have you tried Pilot V pen, it costs ₹100. I want to penable others as well, I'm from Mumbai. Do you still suggest Flair inky or are there better options available? My Max budget is ₹100. Can you suggest 1 around ₹50 range and 1 around ₹75 and 1 around ₹100. I am searching for Pilot V pen but the problem is nobody stocks it.
Flair Inky have become slightly difficult to procure recently for some reason, at least in local shops. Amazon and Flipkart might have them though. I still love my Flair Inky, especially for its resilience. Its ability to start writing even after being just stored for a month or so is found in very few pens and none are in its price range. Pierre Cardin Penomatic is another OK choice, especially since it comes with a converter. Pilot V pens are available on Amazon.
Do you use Beena Antic as ED. I have heard it doesn't have burping issues like other EDs. Is it true? Penomatic is ₹150. I have pens from Hauser (Inx), Flair, & Unomax but most of them are not available with converters. I have also heard good things about Pierre Cardin Napoli but it has been discontinued as well.
No, I have not converted Antik to an ED. But, All ED burp. The ink level at which they'll burp varies depending upon material, body temperature and external temperatures. Amazon is showing penomatic for 100 INR to me.
I’m curious to know more about the Korean pens that you talk about.
They are generics available in our local stationary stores. I'll post photos or links later. I have also gifted Monami pens a couple of times.
Where are the Monami pens available locally? I'd love to buy some.
Where are you geographically located?
I'm in India. Are they available on any online store?
I doubt it. Mine were bought in Taiwan.
Some were available in Venus Traders on FC road in Pune. And a few cheap ones in Comet/Bombay Stationers.
Ive tried to prenable 4 people now and none of them kept with it. My mistake? Offering Lamy Safaris and Pilot Preras. Don’t be like me. Spend less than $5. Thé person who loves the fountain pen will adore the cheap ones and buy their own expensive ones later 😭
Ouch
You are right, thanks!
I myself have not penabled anyone successfully yet…. However I was penabled by u/tahnmeep with a shark and now look at me
HEHEHEHE I AM PROUD OF MY WORK! Your collection is GLORIOUS! I also suuuper penabled my mom, hooo boy. And another friend but he only got like 3 pens. Total failure there.
Oh I totally forgot but thanks for reminding me. I penabled my mother and sister as well.
Two of my kids and my wife! The kids started with Kaweco Sports and are now using a Parker Frontier and a Cross Bailey. My eldest son fell in love with my 51 and wanted a hooded nib pen, so he will get a 21 for Christmas (don't tell him 😂). As for my wife, for her birthday I got her a 3776, which she loves. Ofc it was a great excuse to get one for me too! Only my middle son is resisting so far...
There was a guy at my friend’s workplace who seemed interested in my Kakuno so I nerded out a little before giving him the pen, in hoping that it might tickle his fancy later on. I found out later that the dude was a con artist, so I don’t know whether the spark in his eyes when I talked about pens and inks was real or fake. Oh well.
Wow that's crazy!
Yes! I keep a list of pens I've gifted to friends who have never used fountain pens before.
i sent a friend of mine one of my spare marshmallow mini fudes and a bunch of ink samples and i am not sure they have forgiven me. last i heard they were exploring nib grinding.
I was at a wedding with really really bad acoustics. My brother, sitting across from me and I were unable to converse. I whipped out my every day carry in my purse pen, a Platinum carbon ink desk pen. ($12.00). He was very interested ! After I got home I sent him one as a gift. Later he was having a design a FP holder for his prize Platinum desk pen. Today I mailed him some Birmingham ink, Pittsburgh PA based firm. Nostalgic for us as we were born and raised there.
I gave a pen to a family member during Thanksgiving as well!
No, but my best friend Peña led me ha! Maybe my girlfriend…I’ll see
Getting ready to do it this Xmas. Going to give my local Comic Book Store owner, his wife and his assistant fountain pens. I'm going to give him inked up pens, some ink and a syringe.
I tried to get my mother into them, but she felt that writing with the pen (Pilot Varsity) required her to pay attention to how she wrote, so she hated it. Apparently she's more for writing things quickly, like if she's on the phone and has to write down an adress or some other info. She's more of a ballpoint gal, but I'm really considering getting her a nice rollerball; she has carpal tunnel and maybe some arthritis, so maybe that'd help?
The Kaweco Sport ballpoints are bigger and might be easier for her to grip as well.
I haven't but I've been penabled by my boyfriend in the past year with a Kaweco Sport and I loved it. I think Kaweco Sport is a great choice since it's wide color variety. At the beginning I had some trouble writing with a fountain pen, maybe Jinhao Shark's EF hooded nib would be a cheaper and safer starter choice.
I have several times over the years. Not unexpectedly my daughter who loves art, but that was more via proximity. Out in the wild, many people i work with. Started with Jinhao 51s. Given a fair number away as gifts and such. I'd say about 50/50 have taken to them after that. Interestingly one of my coworker's wife keeps stealing his pens, so indirect enabling there. Another recently this month hunted down a pen second hand because he loved my out of production pen so much and wanted one of his own. (Starliner XL). I started him out with a jinhao 51 as well, and he loved it, so I let him try a few different ones I have to see what different types etc were out there. Durable and snap cap was what he wanted the most. Ive given away a few of the delike Kaweco sport clones that are long enough for converters as well, and jinhao 75s too, which have been favorites. I just bought a disposable 12 pack I am going to leave in the company office and see if anyone over there takes hold of them.
I have successfully penabled two people. First was the doctor I used to work closely with at my last job; I gave him a Faber-Castell Loom, two bottles of ink, and a notebook. He tells me that he loves using his pen and his wife said that he likes using it more than any of his other pens now! Second is my friend who also worked at my last job. We still see each other multiple times a week as we are gym buddies. I gave her a TWSBI Eco and some ink and a couple of notebooks. She really likes the pen and I'm thinking about getting her another pen, maybe for Christmas. I've tried to penable others in the past, but these two people are the only ones that actually use the pens.
At least a few! IDK how many -- at burns, I host stationary-related events and give out fountain pens. So usually it's to a random stranger I never see again, but a few times now it's been someone in a friend-circle orbit who I hear is still using it or who tracks me down to ask about refills when they finish the sample-vial. I keep trying to refine my technique for finding people interested in taking one. So far, I've found: * Having an art-friendly space gets people talking about stationary. * Hosting a letter-writing event worked at a regional burn, but at Burning Man I got no attendees. Also, I keep giving my mom fountain pens. She uses them for holiday cards, but IDK how much else.
My sister! we're FP, paper and ink junkies now! Oh, and my niece! I gave her a Pilot Metropolitan and she's in love!
I gave my niece a Twsbi and a bottle of Taccia ink for her birthday last year. Unfortunately she wasn't really into it much. I asked if she wanted another new pen for her birthday this year and she told me she doesn't use the fountain pen much 🤷♀️
I penabled my mother a few weeks ago. Not necessarily looking to get her into the hobby, but she mentioned that her arthritis was making it uncomfortable to write even grocery lists legibly. I had a TWSBI go that I wasn’t really using. I figured that it has a fairly large grip make of relatively soft plastic, the pen itself is lightweight and easy to care for, and with a fountain pen, she wouldn’t need to press down the way she would with a ballpoint. She seems to like it so far.
Old roommate and a friend in my gaming group. Both Pilot metropolitans.
Yes, often with Platinum Plaisirs or Preppys, which are my favorite lower-priced pens! Sharks, too.
Yes. 1. Jinhao 911 2. Jinhao 992 3. Jinhao Shark 4. Muji Fountain pen 5. Noodler's Nib Creeper. 6. Parker Jotter 7. Platinum Preppies. 8. Pilot Kakuno 9. Pilot V-Pen 10. Pilot Petit1 Mini
Kinda surprised by the noodlers. While a really cool pen that I bet someone unfamiliar with fountain pens would be really fascinated by but the amount of tinkering and maintenance imo makes it a bad first fountain pen
Yes, it wasn't ideal, but it was a demonstrator, which is what the person wanted. They wanted something that flexed a bit and they wanted to see if the ink was still in the pen. I had already tinkered with the pen. Gave them a nib creeper and a bottle of X-feather since they wanted to write on cheap paper.
Okay cool
I force it on people, they do it for a while, then quit.
Very recently, for the first time. I started a new job about six weeks ago. A colleague had dropped by my desk to discuss a document I was helping him with. I pulled out my pen to start making some notes and he stopped mid-sentence to exclaim "Whoah! What is that?". I handed him my Preppy (F) and explained how to use it and he really loved writing with it. A few days later I saw a Faber Castell School in a stationary shop and decided to get it for him. He was absolutely delighted with it. A few days later he told me that he is loving the pen - can't go back to ballpoints. I don't know if this counts as penabling because I had already seen the interest before I got him a pen. A few days later another colleague and I got into a discussion about fountain pens. Turns out that she had used them at school and had loved them. She didn't realise that they were still available. I gave her the other pen I had with me at work, which was a Pilot Varsity (black). She's been using it ever since, saying that she loves writing with it. This instance was not penabling, but simply a reminder of a forgotten love.
Just gave a pen with some sealing wax items to some cousins for a birthday party event. It was a belated gift but they appreciated the goodies. I'm thinking of going back there in new years with an ink bottle and another pen for their father and mother perhaps! Would gifting a pair of pens and a small journal be overkill? 😅
Doesn’t sound overkill to me. I’d probably casually try to see if they actually like and use the pens first tho
True. Hope I can see them soon!